A low-cost water vapour profiler for the lower troposphere. Water vapour plays an important role in weather forecasting, as well as being the most important greenhouse gas. Its distribution is not known in sufficient detail for many aspects of predicting weather and climate change. With the Bureau of Meteorology we will develop a low-cost laser ranging system to measure the profile of water vapour in the lower atmosphere. A low-cost instrument can be placed at a sufficient number of locations ....A low-cost water vapour profiler for the lower troposphere. Water vapour plays an important role in weather forecasting, as well as being the most important greenhouse gas. Its distribution is not known in sufficient detail for many aspects of predicting weather and climate change. With the Bureau of Meteorology we will develop a low-cost laser ranging system to measure the profile of water vapour in the lower atmosphere. A low-cost instrument can be placed at a sufficient number of locations to significantly enhance weather forecasting and climate modelling. The instrument will be useful for detecting fog formation, measuring cloudbase heights and can be adapted for pollution detection and measurement.Read moreRead less
AN INTEGRATED STUDY OF ATMOSPHERIC WAVE GENERATION AND COUPLING. Small-scale atmospheric gravity waves play an important, but not well understood, role in determining the state of the atmosphere. Observations to be made in northern Australia in 2005-2006 will bring together different kinds of radars and other instruments to study rain production processes in thunderstorms. Results will be used in a high-resolution numerical model to test wave generation by storms and to study their impact on the ....AN INTEGRATED STUDY OF ATMOSPHERIC WAVE GENERATION AND COUPLING. Small-scale atmospheric gravity waves play an important, but not well understood, role in determining the state of the atmosphere. Observations to be made in northern Australia in 2005-2006 will bring together different kinds of radars and other instruments to study rain production processes in thunderstorms. Results will be used in a high-resolution numerical model to test wave generation by storms and to study their impact on the atmosphere. The project will contribute to the improvement of weather radar measurements of rainfall and to improvement in numerical weather forecasting and climate prediction. It will provide high-quality training for postgraduate students in the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation and models.Read moreRead less
WAVES IN THE MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE. Atmospheric waves have a profound influence in the atmosphere. A unique network of radars in the southern hemisphere will be used to study wave processes in the upper atmosphere. The project will investigate causes of wave variability, wave sources and wave-wave interactions and will involve satellite measurements and international collaboration. Results will guide the development and testing of schemes that incorporate the effects of small-scale waves in numerica ....WAVES IN THE MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE. Atmospheric waves have a profound influence in the atmosphere. A unique network of radars in the southern hemisphere will be used to study wave processes in the upper atmosphere. The project will investigate causes of wave variability, wave sources and wave-wave interactions and will involve satellite measurements and international collaboration. Results will guide the development and testing of schemes that incorporate the effects of small-scale waves in numerical weather and climate models. Outcomes from the project will have application in modelling climate change.Read moreRead less
Airborne ultrafine particles in Australian cities. There is an acute deficiency of knowledge in Australia on urban airborne ultrafine particles, originating from transport and other anthropogenic sources, which pose significant health and environmental risks. The aim of this project is to address this deficiency by an extensive multi-city, cross-disciplinary study using state of the art instrumentation and data analytic techniques. The outcome will be an in depth, quantitative insight into the c ....Airborne ultrafine particles in Australian cities. There is an acute deficiency of knowledge in Australia on urban airborne ultrafine particles, originating from transport and other anthropogenic sources, which pose significant health and environmental risks. The aim of this project is to address this deficiency by an extensive multi-city, cross-disciplinary study using state of the art instrumentation and data analytic techniques. The outcome will be an in depth, quantitative insight into the characteristics of the particles, their sources and spatial and temporal variation across different urban areas and time scales. Further, the impacts of changing fuels, vehicle technologies, and climate on future trends of the particles will be elucidated.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560872
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$142,138.00
Summary
The Buckland Park Lidar Facility. This project will develop a laser radar (lidar) facility to operate as a test bed for studies in atmospheric physics, space physics, optics and astronomy.
A large aperture Sodium lidar for investigating the middle atmosphere (10-100 km). We will create a world-leading sodium lidar for remote sensing of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) regions of the atmosphere, by developing a novel solid-state sodium light source and using the Cangaroo-1 telescope. It will provide the most accurate measurements ever of the temperature profile and wind velocities in the MLT for much needed input into models of the atmosphere. The addition of this capabi ....A large aperture Sodium lidar for investigating the middle atmosphere (10-100 km). We will create a world-leading sodium lidar for remote sensing of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) regions of the atmosphere, by developing a novel solid-state sodium light source and using the Cangaroo-1 telescope. It will provide the most accurate measurements ever of the temperature profile and wind velocities in the MLT for much needed input into models of the atmosphere. The addition of this capability to the suite of atmospheric monitoring instruments at the Buckland Park field station will create a major international research facility, unrivalled in the world.Read moreRead less
The aeronomy of the atmosphere between 50 and 110 km. Signals of climate change in the 50 to 110 km height region of the atmosphere are becoming more evident. This region shields the surface from extreme UV radiation and so understanding any changes in the region is important for life. We will improve our understanding of the region and look for additional evidence of changes. We will also contribute to improvements in numerical weather prediction models.
The Response of the Middle Atmosphere to Solar and Dynamical Forcing. The region of the atmosphere and ionosphere between 50 and 100 km is difficult to measure directly. We will use a unique array of instruments deployed across Australia to study how this region responds to waves generated in the lower atmosphere and to changes in electromagnetic energy from the sun and particle precipitation from the magnetosphere. Outcomes will help our understanding of how the region is responding to rising l ....The Response of the Middle Atmosphere to Solar and Dynamical Forcing. The region of the atmosphere and ionosphere between 50 and 100 km is difficult to measure directly. We will use a unique array of instruments deployed across Australia to study how this region responds to waves generated in the lower atmosphere and to changes in electromagnetic energy from the sun and particle precipitation from the magnetosphere. Outcomes will help our understanding of how the region is responding to rising levels of greenhouse gas concentrations. Cooling effects are already apparent and our research will look for additional evidence of change.Read moreRead less
The ARC Earth System Science Research Network. The ARC Earth System Science Network incorporates data collectors, modellers and impacts researchers to address the impacts of climate change and variability on Human, biological and physical systems. Our capacity to adapt to changes in water availability, agricultural productivity, the likelihood of species extinctions, and risks to human health will be enhanced through the Network's use of frontier technologies. The enhanced capacity to use data a ....The ARC Earth System Science Research Network. The ARC Earth System Science Network incorporates data collectors, modellers and impacts researchers to address the impacts of climate change and variability on Human, biological and physical systems. Our capacity to adapt to changes in water availability, agricultural productivity, the likelihood of species extinctions, and risks to human health will be enhanced through the Network's use of frontier technologies. The enhanced capacity to use data and model the Earth System will allow policymakers to make more informed decisions with regard to water, biodiversity, human health, industry and agriculture sustainability; thereby enhancing the national capacity to respond to climate change and variability and securing our common interest.Read moreRead less
Methods for establishing cumulative CO2 emission budgets for Australia. Limiting global warming requires curbing cumulative carbon emissions. However, we do not know how the quasi-linear relationship between cumulative carbon dioxide emissions and maximal warming is modulated by other climate-relevant gases (for example, sulphur oxide or Methane) nor have we quantified the relationship in sufficient detail for aligning national and international policy strategies. This project will develop new m ....Methods for establishing cumulative CO2 emission budgets for Australia. Limiting global warming requires curbing cumulative carbon emissions. However, we do not know how the quasi-linear relationship between cumulative carbon dioxide emissions and maximal warming is modulated by other climate-relevant gases (for example, sulphur oxide or Methane) nor have we quantified the relationship in sufficient detail for aligning national and international policy strategies. This project will develop new methods to establish global emission budgets for various climate targets and likelihoods. Options for Australia’s share will be quantified on the basis of effort-sharing proposals. This research is vital for Australian policy makers, the energy sector, and the public in order to plan for coming decades.Read moreRead less